Chapter 18 – Escape
Author's Note: In which Anakin breaks himself and Custos out of prison. ^-^
~ Amina Gila
Night comes far faster than Anakin would have expected, especially since he has nothing to do in the cell except brood and think about how everything came to the place it currently is. He feels so conflicted, so confused, and... he misses Palpatine. He knows he shouldn't, but he does. The Chancellor has long been a friend and a mentor to him, and while he intuitively knows that the man is also a Sith, his mind does not seem to be getting the message.
Palpatine was always able to help him sort through his conflicts in the past, and Anakin hates that his confidence was betrayed so badly, that he was being manipulated by the one person he thought would care for him. At times, he thinks this might be a horrible nightmare, and he wants to wake up, even though he knows it's impossible. He can't go to Palpatine with the conflict that is slowly tearing him apart, but he can turn to Custos. As soon as they're safely away from the prying eyes and ears of the Jedi, he'll talk to him. If he doesn't find a way to deal with this, he'll – he'll... he doesn't know, but it won't be pretty.
His whirling thoughts finally slow when he realizes that the Force around him is far calmer now than it was earlier. That's how he knows it's nighttime. Once the sun sets, and especially as it gets around midnight, the Force is far calmer and more peaceful – at the Temple, at least. It's more obvious outside of cities – and Coruscant. But still, Anakin's instincts don't fail him, and he knows.
Closing his eyes, he reaches out with the Force, painstakingly using it to deactivate the ray shield on his prison cell. It won't be long before someone notices – or senses – so they have to hurry. Anakin delves into the Force, opening himself up to it so much that it feels like it's burning him. But he doesn't back down, reaching up with his hands and yanking down the ceiling, lowering the debris to the floor with the Force. It's the fastest – albeit messiest – way out of here.
"Come on," Anakin urges Custos as he deactivates the ray shield of the Sith's cell. "Let's get out of here."
Custos is visibly startled, but there's a hint of pride and awe in his eyes as he willingly follows Anakin into the hall. They leap to the floor above them right as the alarms go off. Well, a small head start is better than no head start, Anakin supposes, as he tears down the ceiling above them as well. Once they're two floors above the prison level where they were confined, they take off running down the hall, Anakin in the lead. He lets the Force guide him as they skid around a few corners, taking a side staircase up a few levels.
The most important thing is for them to lose their pursuers. Anakin can feel how the entire Temple is on alert, and he and Custos have cloaked themselves in the Force. The Jedi might still be able to sense them, but not nearly as easily. "This way," Anakin pants, letting the Force guide him as they make a dash for the turbolifts.
The doors slide open, and they freeze when Yoda comes into view. Anakin begins backing away, ready to run, but Yoda makes no move to attack them. "Going somewhere, are you?" he questions, something almost amused in his tone. "Room in the lift there is."
"You are... helping us?" Anakin asks, bemused.
"Hmm perhaps," Yoda agrees, shuffling aside, the invitation obvious. Anakin and Custos exchange glances before wordlessly entering the turbolift. Anakin pushes the button for the floor where his apartment is located – he and the others had agreed that hiding inside the Temple would be far less predictable than trying to make a mad dash for freedom, and besides, the exits have probably all been locked down as of now.
"Why are you doing this?" Custos inquires warily.
"A Sith you might be, but helping both Skywalkers you have been," Yoda replies, looking up at Custos. "Balance they are finding. Support you are giving. Planning to turn them to the Dark Side, are you, hmm?"
Custos nearly splutters. "No!"
"Told us about the Sith Master Senator Amidala has, and agree with her I do," Yoda announces. "Help Anakin you must." He emphasizes that with a whack to Custos' knee. The Sith doesn't so much as twitch at it, radiating confusion into the Force. To be fair, Anakin is feeling similarly. He has no idea what Yoda is talking about. Padme told him what now about Sidious? And since when? And why?
The lift chimes when it reaches the designated floor, and Anakin and Custos exit. "Saw you here I did not," Yoda calls after them, laughing to himself as the lift doors close.
"Well," Anakin says as he hurries down the halls to his apartment, "That was strange." He is feeling more than a little mind-blown by the sudden turn of events. All this time, he had thought that the entire Council was against Custos. Why did that suddenly change? And why did Obi-Wan say nothing about it? Or did the change happen afterwards...?
Custos snorts his agreement, shifting uncomfortably as Anakin enters the code to the apartment. Neither of them breathes a sigh of relief or relax until the door is closed and locked behind them.
**w**
"Was this part of your plan the whole time?" Custos wonders, amused despite himself when he and Anakin are finally alone. Finally safe. For now, at least. He doesn't know if he should be exasperated, horrified, or something else entirely about the plan – if indeed it was one.
"Yes." Anakin's grin is a bit sheepish, and before Custos has as moment to so much as think, Anakin is wrapping him in a fierce embrace. "I'm glad you're okay," he whispers against his shoulder. Custos reacts instinctively, hugging Anakin both comfortingly and protectively, recognizing that the younger man is trembling slightly.
"I could say the same to you," Custos murmurs in reply, letting himself bask in the brilliant warmth of the star gone supernova next to him. Even Ani does not shine this way; his son is wilder and more uncontrolled, his power still untamed. "So, tell me what happened?"
"We made a plan," Anakin tells him, seeming content not to move. He's radiating relief into the Force, even if it's entangled with a myriad of other emotions: anger, pain, desperation, guilt, affection, and more. "Artoo came to the Temple with me. He's been plugged into the network since before I was arrested. That... was part of my plan too. Falling, I mean. I couldn't think of any other way to get to you, and I knew that the Force dampeners wouldn't affect me. I could still... break out and take you with me."
"I don't know. Seems awfully risky," muses Custos, though he is very touched by now deep Anakin's love for him is. This is – he would never have asked Anakin to do this, asked him to all but betray his master to free him. The way Anakin said the word 'master' earlier to Obi-Wan reminded Custos so much of the way Ani says 'dad' to him. The inflection is identical, and it's amusing in a very ironic, painful way that Obi-Wan doesn't even realize that. Yet. Maybe he will, given time.
"It was, but it's nothing I haven't done before," Anakin replies, and Custos can almost feel the wave of exhaustion that washes over him.
"Come on," he says, letting go of Anakin and taking his arm, leading him to the small couch in the main room. "It's been a long day, and I'm sure you're tired." Anakin sinks down onto the cushions gratefully, and Custos sits next to him, eager to hear more about what happened after he was captured.
Anakin seems to realize what he wants to know, because he starts talking without having to be asked any questions. "Ahsoka and I did our best to keep Ani distracted. We took him up to the Star Destroyer to meet the clones during the day, but we've been staying at Padme's apartment at night," he explains.
"Padme?" Custos echoes, a bit confused. He remembers her, of course. At least, he remembers her the way she was as a young teenage queen.
"Right," Anakin says, huffing out something that isn't quite a laugh. "She and I are... um... we're married," he blurts out. "No one knows, but I told Ahsoka and Ani yesterday."
Custos is amused despite himself. And he's a bit proud. It's good to see that Anakin didn't let the Jedi brainwash his ability to care for everyone out of him. Not that he thought they had, but he had wondered, briefly, about it. "Well, congratulations are in order then," he teases.
Anakin smiles, slightly, and it makes Custos feel relieved to see Anakin showing some emotion other than a somber depressive mood that seems to have griped him. "How are you feeling? You can talk to me," he murmurs gently, laying a hand on Anakin's forearm.
A shudder runs through Anakin's body. "Ani told me about Sidious," he mumbles, ducking his head. "I don't – I don't know how to feel about that. I –" his voice wavers, and he inhales shakily, "– I miss him. I know I shouldn't, but I do. I don't..."
Custos feels a violent stab of anger, and he lets it come, lets it feed into the Dark Side, letting it flow through him without pulling it into himself. Right now, he needs to remain as calm as he can. "Tell me a little about your relationship with him," he requests. "I'm afraid I know very little about what your life has been like."
"The Chancellor has – he's been a friend," Anakin relates, tension coiled in his body. He's still refusing to look at Custos. "He has looked out for me since I came to the Temple. He has helped me when it seemed like no one else could – or would. He is – he is a friend and a mentor. None of this makes any sense."
"I'm sorry," Custos whispers, wrapping an arm around Anakin's shoulders and just holding him. "I'm sorry that you ended up in a position like that with him. It should never have happened. The Jedi should have known better."
"I thought he cared." Anakin's voice is quiet, and it breaks as he confesses. "I thought he understood me. I thought he wanted to help me. I thought – I never thought he could do something like that to me. Why do I feel like this? I shouldn't – I shouldn't feel this way, knowing who and what he is."
"There is nothing wrong with your feelings," Custos reassures him, choking back his anger and reigning in his desire to storm the Senate and murder Sidious himself – slowly and painfully – for hurting Anakin so badly. "Sidious was... grooming you, Anakin." The words feel like ash in his mouth, and he doesn't want to say them. He doesn't want to give voice to the horrifying abuse that Anakin endured, for psychological and emotional manipulation leaves scars far more lasting than anything of a physical nature.
"But –" Anakin begins instantly, denial and defensiveness surging outwards.
"Listen to me, please," Custos interrupts softly, pulling Anakin closer to him, as if it would be enough to protect the younger from the pain he has already been through. It wasn't enough for Ani, of course, and it won't be enough now, not when the things Anakin has faced are so much worse. "Sidious has been manipulating you." Perhaps a slow, gentle explanation will help Anakin understand and accept it. "He wanted you to be his apprentice, as I'm sure you know or suspect. He undoubtedly wanted you to rely on him and only him for emotional support. Presenting himself as a stable, supportive friend worked best in his own interests. It was only a front. Sidious is far more selfish than even Plagueis, and that is saying a lot."
Even now, he struggles to utter the name of his – and Ani's – chief tormenter. Sidious tortured his body, but Plagueis broke his mind. Sidious was always worse somehow, though; he knew how to say things and what to say. He could – and nearly did – unravel Custos' entire sense of self with nothing more than carefully placed words.
A quiet sound escapes from Anakin, and he buries his face against Custos's shoulder, fingers clenching in Custos' robes – they're the same kind of Jedi robes that he used to wear; the only thing that he still has of his past self – trembling slightly. "How could he?" Anakin's voice is choked. "How could he?"
"He is a Sith." Maybe it's not the answer Anakin wants, but it's the honest one. "What else is troubling you?" he asks after a moment.
"I... I betrayed Obi-Wan." Of course, that would be disturbing him. Custos hopes that Anakin will get the chance to talk to Obi-Wan and sort things out with him. He had thought that the Jedi Master was far too indoctrinated to change, but... he may have been wrong. Obi-Wan's loyalty to Anakin may well surpass his loyalty to the Council in the end. Custos hopes so, if only for Anakin's sake.
And for that, Custos has no answers to give. Because Anakin isn't... wrong. The Jedi do perceive Falling as a betrayal, and Obi-Wan more so than most, especially if Custos is right about how much and how deeply he cares for his former Padawan. But he thinks Obi-Wan will overlook it, especially since Anakin came back. Oh, to see the look on his face if he ever finds out how Anakin managed that feat.
"He is not unreasonable," Custos says by way of reply. "I never thought I would say this, but perhaps you will have to talk to him. It might be the only way to find the peace you so desperately want." He strokes back Anakin's hair, wondering if he should change the topic entirely. "What will happen now?" he settles on, at last.
Anakin exhales, sitting up and rubbing his face. "In an hour, we'll be attempting to leave the Temple via one of the windows in the hall outside. Ahsoka will be waiting for us." His eyes dart around the room, something assessing in them. "I'm not sure if I'll be back here," he admits, "So, I think I should pack a few things to take with me."
He stands, moving across the main room through the controlled chaos there, and Custos privately wonders what Anakin's bedroom looks like if the main room he shares with his Padawan looks like this. On second thought, he really doesn't want to know but...
"Would you like my help?"
Anakin brightens instantly, yanking a crate out from the corner and opening it. "Sure," he agrees. "I'll collect a few things from my room that I want to keep and get a couple things for Ahsoka. We don't have much time, so let's get started."
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